Thailand welcomes SKorean naval training fleet

CHON BURI, THAILAND, September 8 (TNA) - Thailand welcomes a fleet of South Korean naval cadets and training officers who are visiting 15 countries in order to strengthen relations, marking the 70th anniversary of South Korea's independence this year. Rear Admiral Pichet Tanaset, Deputy Chief of Staff of the Naval Operation Fleet, represented the Royal Thai Navy to welcome the visiting South Korean naval training fleet, led by commodore Kim Jeoung Sam, at Sattahip Deep Seaport in Chon Buri Province in the Thai East on September 7. During their stay at the Sattahip Deep Seaport, set from September 7-9, the South Korean naval cadets and their training officers of the Kang Kang San Destroyer and Dae Sung Support Ship are scheduled to visit the 21st Infantry Regiment, the Queen's Guard, which sent troops to join South Korean soldiers during the Korean War, from mid 1950-mid 1953. Besides, they are scheduled to organise activities to show their thankfulness to Thai veterans from the South Korean War, also aimed to strengthen relations between South Korea and Thailand and their navies. The general public are allowed to visit the anchored Kang Kang San Destroyer and Dae Sung Support Ship during the South Korean naval fleet's three-day stay at the Sattahip Deep Seaport. The visiting South Korean naval fleet, comprising 650 cadets and naval officers, will later visit other Thai military camps and join military exercises with Thai forces to further develop their capabilities and experiences in adapting to work in different circumstances. After their departure from Thailand, their second leg after Shanghai in China, the South Korean naval cadets and training officers will continue their 131-day journey to 13 other allied nations, on their planned 16 routes of a total of 56,000 kilometres, in Asia, Europe and America. On September 9, the South Korean naval training cadets are scheduled to join a drill with the Royal Thai Navy, before departing for India's Shennai Port. The South Korean unit will end their journey in Hawaii of the United States over the next four months. (TNA)